Obituary: Paul M. Bummer (1955 - 2015).

Abstract

It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of Paul M. Bummer, an outstanding scientist, colleague, and friend on May 15, 2015 at the age of 59. Dr. Bummer served as editor for Pharmaceutical Research, specializing in the areas of preformulation and pharmaceutical technology since early 2006. As an editor, Dr. Bummer was generally known by authors to be an impartial and conscientious arbitrator in his review of nearly 1,000 manuscripts during his 9 years of tenure. Dr. Bummer was an associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, where he worked for the last 25 years. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in pharmacy from Duquesne University. He practiced pharmacy at Allegheny Hospital in Pittsburgh before pursuing his Ph.D in pharmaceutics from the University of Wisconsin where he received his doctoral degree in 1987. He went on to pursue postdoctoral studies at theUniversity ofUtah’s Center forControlled Chemical Delivery from 1988 to 1990. Dr. Bummer’s research centered on colloid systems, interfacial phenomena, and their application to drug delivery. His work focused on the application of lipid excipients and surfactants as a means of enhancing the delivery of poorly soluble drugs (most notably anticancer agents) by both oral and parenteral routes. His publications included studies on drug solubilization andmass transport in lipid assembly systems, biophysical properties of pulmonary surfactant, andmixing of fluorocarbon and hydrocarbon surfactants and foam fractionation of macromolecules. He was a member of the AmericanAssociation of Pharmaceutical Sciences (AAPS) and was recognized by his peers with the 1995 AAPS New Investigator Grant in Pharmaceutics and the Pharmaceutical Technologies. In 2002 he received the Commonwealth of Kentucky Science and Engineering Award. At the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy he was known as an inspirational teacher, and he was a four-time recipient of the college’s Blouin Award for Excellence in Education. Dr. Bummer’s departure is a great loss to the journal and the pharmaceutical sciences in general. He was an outspoken advocate for pharmaceutical technology and physical pharmacy as well as an encouraging champion for junior scientists. Overall, he was deeply committed to Pharmaceutical Research, where he served as a source for editorial advice, publication strategy and identifying emerging areas of research.Hewill be greatlymissed.